


Quantum

by Kirose



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Asgard (Marvel), Avenger Bucky Barnes, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Avenger Reader (Marvel), Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Christmas with the Avengers, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Dr strange works with avengers, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Mutant Reader, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Stark Tower, Unrequited Love, and more - Freeform, you give him that hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-07-08 13:16:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15931205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirose/pseuds/Kirose
Summary: When everything goes wrong in a coffee shop, you aren’t exactly sure what will happen next.What you definitely aren’t expecting is to move in with the Avengers.Or to meet Loki.The discovery of an unusual power changes your life forever as you learn to cope, and help certain others to deal with their own unfortunate circumstances along the way. And even though you aren’t meant to, you find yourself developing feelings.This will be a slow burn fic so I hope you’ll all enjoy the ride!





	1. How It All Started

**Author's Note:**

> Your life pretty much falls apart in a coffee shop. So nothing new there, then.

You sit in silence, not by choice, watching the slow seconds tick by. You aren’t alone; there are five or six other people in the room with you, all looking equally confused. It’s almost as if your emotions are reflected on the faces of everyone around you. 

The room you’re in isn’t very exciting. It’s almost a pure white, so much so that the seams between the floor and walls are hardly visible, and the only greys are from the shadows cast by the fluorescent lights and your bodies. It’s not a big room either; in fact, it’s tiny, and you guess that if you were to stretch both arms out on either side, there wouldn’t be enough room for you to not be touching someone else. The strangest thing about the room is the lack of furniture. There are no chairs, or tables, or even windows. There’s no door either. The only accessory is the flat, white clock face hung just above reaching height, even on tiptoes. 

And now the seven of you, all strangers, are sitting on the white floor in the white room, staring at the useless white clock.

***

Before the room, and the people, and the clock, you were just living your life, and finally beginning to enjoy yourself. Your part-time job had at last paid off, with you receiving your first big bonus as well as some vacation time, and so you decided that it was about time for you to move out of your student flat. You lived alone, so although there was enough room for you to live comfortably there, you figured you may as well take the opportunity to upsize while you have the chance, especially this early in your life. You know how lucky you were to have been able to land your job, especially with your small amount of prior experience and having to work around classes.

Today was the day you finally managed to complete the move, and although most of your stuff was still in beige cardboard boxes, you felt the need to relax and unwind some of the tension that moving to a new house typically invokes. You had the bright idea of exploring your new neighbourhood in New York, and so, grabbing your bag and phone, you set out. It was fairly cool when you left, but it quickly began to get colder as the early evening dusk set in, and you started to regret not picking up your jacket too. 

Spotting the friendly lights of a café, you made a snap decision and stepped in, welcoming the wave of coffee and warmth that enveloped you as you closed the door behind you. The typical background noise of coffee shops surrounded you as you ordered your drink, and after paying you made your way over to a table and sat down. That was when things began to go wrong.

As you took a sip, you muffled a curse as the hot liquid burned your tongue painfully, scalding the inside of your mouth at the same time. You glanced around desperately to see if there was a cold water jug or anything of the sort to help soothe the burn but got side-tracked as a faint ringing began in your ears. Annoyance turned to anxiety as it became louder and louder, and then full-blown panic as the volume began to hurt. Then it stopped, just as suddenly as it had begun. Your tongue somehow didn’t hurt anymore either. 

The relief was somewhat impaired by the fact that, although the café was full to the point that it had been hard to get a table, it was deadly silent. The previous ambience had vanished, and although it looked like people were talking and laughing around you, you could hear nothing. Eyes wide as the panic continued, you snapped your fingers in front of your face a couple of times. The pair from the table beside you glanced over as you did, but you couldn’t hear anything. 

Heart caught in your throat, you suddenly began to find it hard to breathe and abruptly stood up, letting your chair scraping soundlessly against the wooden floorboards. That just made your dizziness increase, and just as you thought things couldn’t get worse, you swayed a couple of times then began falling towards the floor, face first. 

Your body stiffened, and you screwed your eyes closed to prepare for the painful impact, but it never came. Instead, you suddenly found yourself stumbling forwards and your hands hit a hard, smooth surface, which you leant against gratefully. It felt oddly cool, and a second later you opened your eyes, only to see white. There was a moment of fear when you thought you’d gone both blind and deaf, but then you turned around to see the other people, all looking bewildered, and one clutching a coffee as if it was a lifeline.

***

You sigh. Of course, you can’t hear it, just as you can’t seem to hear anything in here. Neither can the others. That was established fairly quickly, as you all tried to ask each other what happened or where you were at the same time, resulting in a strange miming act. The only bright side is that you’ve managed to make the connection between all of you, as you recognised two of them as the couple sat beside you at the café. Not that you’re sure if the connection means anything, or how you all even got here. The only sound in the room is the clock’s ticking, which you see as a small comfort as it reminds you that you aren’t deaf. 

To be honest, you aren’t actually sure how long you’ve spent in here, although it’s been long enough for all your panic to subside, that’s for sure. It became obvious early on that panicking wouldn’t teleport you away. The clock, although it has a second hand, has nothing else. There aren’t any markings for numbers, or any hands to mark hours or minutes. You lost count within the first 100 seconds, so now you’re just waiting. You aren’t sure what you’re waiting for, presumably rescue or something of the sort, but the bonus of the situation is that you feel surprisingly comfortable. You aren’t at all tired, or hungry, and nothing hurts, not even your mouth from the burn earlier. You can’t speak for the others, but none of them appear to be injured at least.

You take a moment to examine the other people. The couple you saw at the coffee shop are huddling together, leant against each other and the wall. Occasionally, the girl pokes the guy, and they seem to share some ‘meaningful’ eye contact, before returning to stare at the clock. In the other corner, the girl who somehow kept her coffee is sipping on it, and every now and then she puts it down to glare at some imperfection on her nails. There are two more girls, both with blonde hair, and one other guy, who is sitting cross-legged in the remaining space in the centre of the room, looking surprisingly chilled out. As for you, you sit with your knees drawn up to your chest against the wall opposite the clock, watching the hand go around as the fluorescent light flickers intermittently.

Your attention is drawn from the almost hypnotic clock as a spinning, sparking gold speck appears, a flaw in the white surface of the walls. It rapidly expands, until it almost spans the height of the ceiling. It looks almost like a hole, but you can’t make out much of what’s on the other side. It’s too dim in comparison to the harsh lighting in here. Then, a man steps through. He appears cautious at first, entering slowly, but as he sees the small room of seven people, almost all of them staring at him in shock, he appears to become more confident. He glances round, back to the clock, and cocks an eyebrow curiously.

“Just what exactly are all of you doing in here?”

He’s wearing an odd-looking deep red cape, that appears to ripple in a breeze that doesn’t exist. On top of that, there’s also a weird pendant and very scarred-looking hands. 

The girl with the coffee gasps, her attention finally drawn away from her nails. “You can talk?”

“…Yes, can’t you?” The man appears bemused, as if surprised that that’s what she’s shocked about, and his brow creases slightly in confusion.

The girl blinks, and you can almost see the gears in her head whirring and an error message appearing. “Oh! I guess I can?”

Everyone in the room seems to catch on at once, and almost instantly, you can’t even hear your own thoughts over people yelling. Some are demanding to go home, (right this instant, as if that were possible) and you almost roll your eyes. Coffee girl is just complaining about cramp in her legs, and the other people seem to be yelling just for the sake of it. You don’t yell; you feel suddenly drained, and vertigo washes over you. However, it fades fast.

“Alright, alright!” the man shouts over the dissonance of voices, motioning for you all to be quiet. “I’m not sure what’s going on right now, or why you’re all here, but I’d really prefer for you to all shut up for a minute.”

The tension eases in the room a little as people fall into silence, mostly out of surprise. A few people begin stretching out their legs, and although there isn’t nearly enough space, you attempt to soothe your arm cramps. You rotate your shoulder, wincing as it twinges slightly in protest of being held in one position for too long.

The man clears his throat. “Let’s begin with the simple introductions.” Everyone looks up expectantly. “My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, and first of all, I would like to know who made this room.”

Your eyes widen slightly as recognition finally sparks in your brain. You don’t know very much about him, but you know he’s capable of magic things like portals and has worked with the Avengers a few times. People begin looking round to see if anyone can answer his question, and you feel your face crease into confusion to match the others. Nobody replies. 

He rubs the bridge of his nose, sighing. “Listen, I came because I sensed this pocket dimension, which is incredibly rare in itself, but on top of that, I felt it being created. That’s something that there’s no record of ever happening before. All I want to know is which one of you managed to do this.”

Your confusion only increases, not helped at all by Dr Strange’s little speech. One of the guys raise their hand very slowly.

“What?” Dr Strange snaps, beginning to look irritated at the lack of response. “Did you do this?”

The man flinches. “No, I, uh… What’s a pocket dimension?”

“Isn’t it like that thing, a pokeball?” The coffee girl chimes in, trying to add to the conversation.

“We’re in a pokeball? Cool!” The other man looks wonderingly around the small room as though given a new perspective. 

You can practically feel the frustration emanating of Dr Strange by this point, and he looks like he’s about to start banging his head repeatedly against the wall until it all ends. Instead, he spins on his heel, stepping back through the portal he came in by. A moment later he returns, looking considerably calmer, although his scarred knuckles are bleeding as though he’d hit something hard.

“Please, I just want to know which one of you is able to…” He trails off as his eyes play over a multitude of clueless faces, yours included. “Oh, for God’s sake. I shouldn’t have to deal with this, this isn’t part of the job description. I can’t.” 

He closes the portal behind him, then opens it again. This time, it’s got a lot more light coming out of it. You can’t make out what’s inside from your angle. He gestures for everyone to follow him, grumpily muttering “I’ll get someone qualified to deal with you lot,” then steps through, disappearing almost instantly. 

After a brief glance at each other, you obediently file through the hole in line with everyone else, like sheep. Going through the portal feels odd, almost tingly, and not quite like anything you’ve ever felt before. In fact, it almost seems refreshing, or rejuvenating, and you can feel the energy emanating from it as you walk through. 

Even though you were one of the last in, you’re somehow first out, almost tripping over Dr Strange’s heels. He shoots you a -look-, and you bite your lip, dropping back slightly in embarrassment. That’s when you get the opportunity to look around you, and you realise where you are with a start. 

Everything around you looks sleek, and it’s all modern-looking, in silvers and blues. There’s a large open space, filled only by seating, and a large reception is towards the back, opposite four massive glass automatic double-doors. A stream of people are constantly passing through, looking very rushed, some appearing anxiety ridden, others carrying stacks of paper barely recognisable as files.

“Is this…?” Your mouth gapes slightly.

Dr Strange nods. “Stark Tower’s lobby. Come on, hurry up.” He calls out as the last person exits the portal, looking entirely bewildered. The rest are gathering in a group behind him, staring around at the room with varying levels of awe. You almost have to physically pick your jaw up from the floor, you’re so impressed. Everything feels way above your head, from the portal to even just the modern, amazing work environment you’re in. Once you’re all gathered, he ushers you down a side corridor, getting a few strange looks from staff members, and then scans a card he pulls out of his pocket to get through a locked door at the end. It turns out to be an elevator, not much smaller than the room you were in a few minutes earlier, and he packs everyone in, pressing one of the highest numbers on the panel.

It feels like the slowest elevator you’ve ever ridden, and that’s not just due to the awkward silence. You never thought you’d be craving for some elevator music. On top of that, Dr Strange has also managed to constantly keep a sort of physical personal-space bubble around him since you trod on the back of his feet, so even though the eight of you are cramped in one small space, he still has room all around him. You go to look at your phone, only to remember that it didn’t go with you to the room, and so presumably is still at the café, along with your bag, and purse, and keys… shit.

You sigh to yourself, more worried about losing your keys to your new house within the first day than you are about your phone. It doesn’t exactly bode well for the future, does it? 

The couple from the café seem to be having a similar epiphany, checking all of their pockets for missing items to no avail. Slumping back against the elevator wall, you wonder if the company you bought it from will have spares, or if you’re going to have to call in a locksmith once this is all over. It would just be the cherry on the cake if the police were called to stop you from breaking into your own house, after all of this.

What feels like an eternity later, the elevator glides to a halt, with none of the usual juddering stops you’re used to in these things. You had thought you were surprised when you first stepped out of the portal in the lobby; now you realise that that was nothing compared to what you see now. A glass wall on the opposite side of the room appears as if it would let in a flood of natural light if it wasn’t evening, and shows off the view, with all of New York sprawled out below. The effect is made greater by the city lights in miniature buildings, flickering on and off. In the huge space in front of it, comfy chairs and a sofa sit in a sort of semicircle, with a flat screen TV on the wall. You can just make out an ensuite kitchen off to the side as well.

It looks surprisingly empty to you; you think that if you owned a place like this, you’d spend your whole living life sat on one of the chairs. Dr Strange appears to share your sentiment, and his eyes narrow slightly. 

“Where could they be now?” He sighs. 

With a vague ‘wait here’, he strides away, cape swishing dramatically behind him, and seemingly forgetting that he’s left seven civilians unsupervised in the Avengers common-room or whatever it’s called.

While he’s gone, you take more of the opportunity to look around. After all, when else will you get the chance? The others seem to have decided the same, and the coffee girl, who you’re now certain is annoying, helps herself to a snack out of a kitchen cupboard. 

“I’m not sure you should eat their food…” You say uncertainly. 

“Oh, come on. They’re superheroes. Do you really think they’ll care about one missing pop-tart?” She rolls her eyes, putting it in the toaster.

You shrug, and walk away. Although you’re beginning to feel hungry too, you decide it’s better to wait, and ask first. Instead, you start admiring the tv screen. It’s the thinnest you’ve ever seen, to the point that it’s pretty much flush with the wall. The pair from the café head in the same direction as you, but admire each other rather than their surroundings. You notice one of the guys slipping into an open room, and bite your lip.

You’re tempted to do the same, but before you can even begin to properly entertain the thought you hear a shrill scream from the kitchen area.   
Even though she’s annoying and you still don’t know her name, when you hear the girl scream you run towards the direction it came from. The couple are sitting on one of the comfy seats together jump up too, startled.

When you reach the kitchen, she’s covering her mouth with one hand and the other is pointing and shaking. You look from her to where she’s pointing, and stifling a gasp, stare with wide eyes. Iron man, the Iron man, is stood in the other doorway, looking equally shocked and slightly confused.

“Y…you’re…” The girl stutters.

“What are you doing in here? Who are you?” He asks, sounding stunned. He turns when he hears you and others arriving, and rubs his face with his hand.

“Jarvis, who are these people?” He yells.

There’s silence.

“Jarvis? Why didn’t you tell me intruders had entered?”

There’s more silence, and you blink. You’re not quite sure what’s going on, and to be honest you just want to be back in the coffee shop with your drink.

“I… I’m sorry for eating your pop-tart, Mr Stark.” She bites her lip, looking like she’s about to start to cry.

“No, that’s not… What?” Now everyone in the room looks bewildered, him included, and the confusion is only broken as Dr Strange chooses that moment to come back in.

“Ah, Tony. Just the man I was looking for.” Dr Strange puts a piece of paper on a kitchen counter then turns back to face him. “I was going to leave a note with one of these people, but if you’re home I suppose it’s better to do it in person.”

Mr Stark crosses his arms. “What did you do to Jarvis, Strange?”

He shrugs. “I might have asked him to mute himself, purely because I didn’t want him warning every person in a ten mile radius that I’m here.”

“He would have only told me.” 

“Exactly.”

Mr Stark uncrosses his arms, but his expression doesn’t change from one of mild irritation. “So why are all of these people here?”

“I need you to question them, find out which one casted some particularly rare magic. After that they’ll probably be kept here anyway, like your other dangerous magic ‘guest’, am I right?” Dr Strange raises an eyebrow.

He sighs. “Does Fury know about this?”

“No, this is more personal curiosity. You can tell him once you find out who it is, if you think they’ll be any use.”

Sighing once more, Mr Stark turns and appraises the group that has gathered in the doorway, with you in the midst. “Fine, but I’ll wait until the others return to help. They’re out on a mission right now.”

A curt nod later, and Dr Strange has stepped through another gold portal and vanished. Mr Stark turns to face your group.

“Well, this is going to be fun…”


	2. The Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is not a happy bunny (at first)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Just a little tip for any chrome desktop users; if you install the InteractiveFics chrome extension it takes up almost no storage, it's free and easy, and it changes Y/N or any word of your choice to your name! I also use it to change 'orbs' to eyes because that's my pet peeve :)  
> Not sponsored (I wish), just trying to help!

The first thing Mr Stark does is tell everyone to call him Tony. The second thing is to lock each of you in a separate room, with strict orders not to leave. Not that you’re complaining; the room you’re in is beautifully decorated, all plush and comfortable-looking, with a large double bed. Plus, even if you had gone straight home you wouldn’t have been able to go inside. You don’t have keys anymore, thanks to the whole ‘white room’ fiasco, and you had planned on using a makeshift bed until you could get around to setting up the old one. This is much better, plus you get to stay at Avengers tower – something you never thought would happen.

You collapse on the bed and sigh dramatically. Today has definitely not been your day, although you’re still not actually sure how long its been since you were sat in the café. It appears to be light outside as you check through the curtained window, but you’ve been through enough that you feel tired anyway. You slip under the covers. It doesn’t matter what time it is; your body has needs that are demanding to be met, and you aren’t going to deny it of that. 

***

What you had intended to be a powernap apparently became a full time thing. When you wake up, it’s not dark anymore; instead it’s a sunny afternoon greeting you outside, meaning you slept through the night and a good part of the morning. You practically roll out of bed, and you’re just trying to fix your dishevelled hair in the large mirror when there’s a knock at your door. You turn, startled, and go over to open it, forgetting that it’s locked.

“Come in?” You say hesitantly.

You hear the lock click, and the door swings open to reveal Tony. He looks extremely put-out, and you’re not sure if it’s aimed at you or just in general.

“Come on, kid. You’re up next.” He puts a hand on your shoulder and gently escorts you out. He’s not holding on tightly, but it feels heavy and you can tell that there’s no chance of you leaving until you’re all cleared. You aren’t worried about that though; you know you don’t have any abilities, and you’re fine with that.

You’re guided down a corridor and into a white and grey room, with an opaque glass wall which you assume is a one-way screen. 

“Have any of the others come yet?” You ask, trying to release some of your anxiety.

He shifts slightly. “Yeah, Cap, Romanoff and Thor are here, and the rest have been called back. Strange gave us more details last night, and now that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s found out, they’re pretty insistent on finding whoever it is.”

You’re confused for a moment, then realise. “I meant the people I was trapped with,” you smile slightly despite your nerves. “I was wondering who you’ve talked to so far.”

He pulls a face of realisation then answers with, “Oh, only Rob and Sarah.” 

Your mind is blank. “Who?”

“The couple. They were getting quite anxious being kept in separate rooms, plus they didn’t seem like the type, so we cleared them first.”

Your expression clears, and you now have a few names to put to faces. In your head you hope that means they’re going from least likely to most, and in that case, you would be pretty high up on the ‘not’ list. He gestures to a chair in the centre-ish of the room, telling you to take a seat and wait a little. You do as he says, although your heart feels as though it’s about to burst out of your chest. He quickly hooks up a couple of wires to your fingers and temples, with soft pads. He turns to leave, but just as he’s about to head out of the door, your panic gets the best of you.

“This isn’t going to hurt, is it?” You try not to let your voice crack, but it’s been a long two days and you’re not sure if you managed. Also, you still feel drained, and your head keeps aching occasionally.

You think you see Tony stiffen slightly, and he immediately turns back around and crouches next to the chair, so he’s at your eye-level. “No, kid. We’re the good guys, remember? At least, we try to be. Nobody here is gonna hurt you, I promise. It’s just a lie detector.”

You nod, and he stands up again, looking friendlier than earlier. “I need to go turn on the mics, but you’ll be f–“

That’s when Thor comes barging in, with Black Widow trying her best to hold him back. You recognise them both instantly, Thor with his golden hair and red cape, and Black Widow with her black suit you’ve always been jealous of. You’re equally as star-struck as you were with Tony, although the moment is ruined by the look of fury on his face, the type you’ve only seen on TV during one of their streamed battles.

“YOU!” He practically roars. You shrink back in the seat, terrified and confused yet again. How does he know you? And why does he hate you already?

“YOU ATE MY POP-TART!” He yells, eyes blazing.

You shake your head violently, wishing you were anywhere but here. An angry Thor less than five metres away might be the scariest thing you’ve ever seen, and it’s made worse when Black Widow is shaken off and he summons Mjolnir into his hand. You cringe back and instinctively shoot a pleading look at Tony, who rubs his face.

“Jesus Christ, Thor. This is an interrogation – you shouldn’t be in here. Can’t you see you’re scaring her?”

Thor lowers the hammer, but he’s still angry. “My pop-tart!”

“Don’t make me get the suit out over a stolen pastry!” Tony growls.

“I didn’t take it.” You manage to squeak out, and the lie detector remains silent.

Tony points at the machine, emphasising the silence and lack of lights. “See, she didn’t lie. Calm down.”

Thor pauses, stares at the machine with dawning realisation, and has the decency to look a little sheepish. “I apologise, Lady…” He looks to Tony for help, who shrugs.

“I would know by now if you hadn’t interrupted us.”

You’re still in shock and stay silent, watching them converse.

“I wanted to know who stole my belongings!”

“It’s just food - I can afford to buy as many as even you can eat!”

Thor grumbles quietly, but leaves it. Meanwhile, Tony turns to you apologetically.

“I’m sorry about this…”

“Y/N.” You supply, straightening up in your seat and staring at the space between your feet on the floor. It’s the only thing that makes sense to you right now.

Tony sighs. “Well, Y/N, I don’t think you’re in any condition to do this right now, but unfortunately we still have to do it for procedural reasons.”

“You don’t think it’s me?” You ask hesitantly, and as Tony shakes his head you practically sag with relief.

“If you had abilities, you wouldn’t have panicked so much about Thor’s little tantrum.” He explains, and as Black Widow brushes herself off and walks over, she nods in agreement.

“No offence, but you don’t exactly scream ‘powerful and rare magic caster’. More ‘confused and frightened student’ if you ask me.” She adds.

You supply a weak smile. “I’m not going to say that wouldn’t be accurate right now.”

She smiles. “You don’t need to worry. We’ll find whoever it is, and by tomorrow you can go home.” Thor has put Mjolnir away somewhere, and he comes over too. 

“I’m very sorry for my rude behaviour earlier, Lady Y/N. It was very inappropriate of me to accuse you of being a thief.” He puts on puppy eyes, and you find them surprisingly effective; almost all of your nerves from earlier have faded, and you feel comfortable around these people. Although that’s to be expected you think, they are heroes after all. 

He turns to Black Widow and apologises to her too, and then the ‘interrogation’ begins. You say that because at this point, you feel comfortable enough around them that it just feels like they’re getting to know you. After the questions about your name, age and job, you breeze through the questions. They’re mostly along the lines of ‘are you magic’, and every time you answer no, the machine stays silent. By the end you’re calling everyone by their names, including Natasha (with special permission, of course). It takes up about an hour, although you’re pretty sure some of the questions about you weren’t routine. 

Afterwards, Tony takes you back to your room himself, pointing out labs and interesting rooms along the way. Once you’re inside you turn around to face him, and as he closes the door, he pauses briefly. “I’m not going to lock it as you’re not a prisoner, but I would recommend staying inside tonight. We’ve got a… guest of sorts, who could be quite dangerous. Other than that, the toilet is down the corridor to the right. Breakfast will be around eight to ten, depending on when everyone arrives; I’ll either come and get you myself or someone else will. If you need anyone before that, just yell at Jarvis, ok?”

“Jarvis?” You ask, remembering the name from somewhere.

He makes a face of realisation and curses under his breath. “Oh yeah, when you first got here Strange muted him, didn’t he. Jarvis?” He addresses the air above you for the last part, and you blink in surprise.

“Yes Sir?” a pleasant voice replies, and you jump slightly, looking round.

Tony laughs. “That’s just Jarvis, don’t worry. He’s a robot I created, think of him as a really smart Siri.”

You nod. “Hi Jarvis.” You say tentatively.

“Good afternoon, Miss Y/N.” He replies, and you smile.

Tony explains a little more about how to use Jarvis and the tower as a whole, then leaves you alone. Once the door is closed, you release the breath you’ve practically been holding all day. So much has happened in the last 24 hours that you aren’t even sure how to begin absorbing it all, and as you climb into bed and fall into a fitful rest, your dreams are haunted by portals and empty rooms where you’re locked in.

You wake up when it’s still dark to a knocking at your door. Opening it while yawning is a mistake, because to your shock Captain America is standing in your doorway.

“Oh! Uh…good evening, Captain America, no wait, Sir...” You fumble with your words, forgetting how to address a captain, but fortunately he just laughs, and you watch in wonder as his entire face is lit up by his smile. Hell, the entire room is glowing.

“You can just call me Steve.” He beams, and you resist the urge to squint. 

“It’s amazing to meet you,” You say honestly, “But I thought breakfast was in the morning, not…” you glance at the clock and resist another yawn, “half two in the morning.”

He nods, taking on a more serious expression. “We have to redo all of the interviews; they didn’t get any hits last time so now that we’re all here we’ll try again. Nat caught us up, you’re Y/N right?”

You confirm his question, and realise that means that you’re now in the same tower as every hero you’ve ever looked up to. Steve seems to take your silence as nervousness, and tries to tell you not to worry, but truthfully you’re trying to wrap your head around it. Together you head back to the familiar interview room, Steve looking taller than ever in contrast to you. He even offers his arm to ‘escort’ you, but you decline knowing you’d be red by the time you reached the room, and then you’d have to explain yourself. 

As you walk in Tony, Natasha and Thor are already there, and Steve introduces you to Clint and Bruce. Smiling, you sit down at the table with them, and soon enough you get déjà vu as Tony re-attaches the same wires as yesterday with new pads. The questions go just as smoothly as before, except this time you’re given the opportunity to ask a few for yourself. By the end, you feel comfortable with everyone and like you know them somewhat. They even let you give each of them nicknames.

Afterwards, you’re allowed to wait on the other side of the one-way mirror with Nat to watch the other interviews - on the condition from Tony that you touch nothing.

All the interviews finished without a culprit being found, and everyone looks considerably more stressed than they did before. As they head out, you hang behind to talk to Natasha. “What are you going to do now?” You ask.

Nat shakes her head. “There’s not much more we can do. We can’t hold innocent people for no reason, as much as Fury would like it if we could.”

“Do S.H.I.E.L.D. really care about this that much? It didn’t feel that big of a deal.”

She sighs. “Unfortunately, yes. Dr Strange got in contact, and whoever we’re dealing with has too much power to be left alone with it.”

You nod slowly, starting the understand the depth of the situation but before you can talk more, Tony returns to take you through to the kitchen for breakfast.

“Already?” You tilt your head.

“It’s past nine.” Tony laughs, and you’re surprised at how fast time passed. You got so caught up in watching the interviews that you hadn’t noticed.

Just before the door to the kitchen, he stops you. “Listen, you know how I said we have a guest?”

You nod, confused. 

“It’s just that the guest happens to be Loki.” He shifts on the spot. 

“You mean…” You trail off, and Tony nods. 

“Yeah, that Loki. We’re keeping him in the tower for now as it’s the safest place; he’s surrounded by us and Jarvis won’t give him access to anywhere I don’t want him. Just don’t speak to him or stare too much, and you should be fine.”

You bite your lip, and as you head in to join the others you notice them all clustered in a corner, staring at a figure draped across a chair. He’s dressed in all black and green and is holding a book open, ignoring his crowd. His face is what draws the majority of your attention though. He’s all cheekbones and jawline, etched into pale skin. His eyes stand out the most, blue with a spark of mischief and intelligence. His lips equally catch your attention, but before you can examine his face any further his eyes seem to catch on yours, and you’re not sure if it’s your imagination when he looks more on guard and a tiny smirk flashes across his face. 

“What was it you were all talking about earlier?” He practically purrs, turning so he’s facing the Avengers, but his eyes still trained on you. You turn your head too to realise that everyone is sat at a large table, with Tony heading towards a spare seat and the others sat opposite each other. They’re all staring at your small group, who’re shifting anxiously. You feel positively relaxed in comparison now that you’ve talked to them all.

Thor beams, presumably happy that his brother is taking an interest in his work. “The Strange Doctor wanted us to find the magic caster for him!” He booms, then his face falls. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t find them, but I did find out which one of them took my food.” He shoots a good-tempered glare at coffee girl, who looks abashed.

“Oh, blondie’s a thief, is she?” Loki tilts his head, looking slightly interested but sounding bored.

Steve steps forward, frowning at him and Thor. “Stop it, you two. It’s just food, and these guys should be leaving now. It’s not right to keep them here for no reason, and it’s dangerous.” He begins to usher your group out of the room and towards the elevator, and you can finally feel some of the stress seeping away at the prospect of going home. You’re glad you got the chance to meet the Avengers, but you never wanted it to be from a suspect’s perspective.

Loki sits up, gaze flicking back towards you, and this time you’re certain a grin stretches across his face. “They’re leaving? I thought you wanted to know which one has certain abilities.”

Apparently, everyone else in the room sees his expression too, because suddenly the attention is focused on him.

He cocks an eyebrow, the smile still playing on his lips. “What, you all somehow forgot that I’m a magic caster as well?

Tony scowls. “What are you playing at this time, Reindeer Games?”

Loki shrugs gracefully. “I’m just pointing out the facts. I’m sure you don’t want to release a dangerous person amongst all those mortals – not that I would mind. Of course, the information wouldn’t come free…”

“You mean, they’re here after all?” Natasha mutters. Tony grits his teeth, looking conflicted.

“What do you want?”

Leaning back in his seat, Loki looks totally at ease and pretends to think for a second. “Why don’t you label this one as an ‘I owe you’. That’s what it’s called here, isn’t it?”

“That’s it?” Tony asks, looking suspicious. 

He laughs. “Of course it isn’t. I also want more freedom, my magical restrictions removed and a private library, but I’ll settle for the freedom and the owed favour.”

“No.” Tony retorts instantly, shaking his head. “The whole point of you being here isn’t a vacation.”

Loki sighs in mock disappointment. “Oh well… I guess I’ll let you free the person you’re after.”

Natasha steps forward. “Stark, don’t play his game. Just change up his bracelet a little, give him a longer leash around the tower. It’s not worth it.”

Thor looks conflicted but agrees, and one by one so do the rest. Loki shuts the book he’s holding with an audible thud, and sits up straighter. “Do we have an agreement?”

Tony growls under his breath, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. I’ll update the bracelet a little. But you can’t tell Fury – he’ll have both of our heads.”

Loki scoffs. “Do you really think I would tell that mortal anything about my private matters?”

Natasha comes over and herds your group away from the doorway to just in front of Loki. From this distance you can practically feel the power radiating off him, and his eyes pierce through you. “Which one is magic?” she asks, sounding frustrated. “You’d better not be lying, for your own sake.”

He glares at Natasha, lifts his arm idly, and his finger comes to a stop pointed towards you. You feel yourself freeze, and you pray you don’t look as terrified as you feel.

“W…Wha…I don’t…” You stammer, taking a step back. The room is silent, nobody moves. You stare at Loki in shock, and you can see the satisfaction glimmer in his eyes. 

“Thanks for the upgrades, mortal.”


	3. The Accused

After what feels like an eternity of silence, everyone springs into action at once. While Nat separates you from the group, hand clamped onto a shoulder, Bruce rounds up everyone else from the coffee shop and starts to guide them outside. You desperately try to twist around, to tell her that it’s not true, but she won’t even catch your eye. Meanwhile, Loki is lounging in the armchair in the corner, looking smug. You shoot him a bitter glare, and he smiles pleasantly at you, opening his book and going back to reading. The last of the coffee shop people vanish from your sight and Steve shuts the door behind them without a word. You notice Tony shooting him a look, and he shakes his head. 

Soon enough it’s just you, Loki, and most of the Avengers stood in the kitchen area. Tony sighs, looking exhausted. “Alright, let’s go back to the interrogation room.”

Nat steers you down the now familiar corridor, and Steve waits at the door with Clint. Presumably Bruce and Thor are in the monitoring area on the other side of the glass; they definitely aren’t anywhere you can see them. Fortunately there’s no sign of Loki following you, and you secretly hope he gets a paper cut from his stupid book. For the third time, you sit down and stay still as you’re all strapped into the machine. This time, however, there’s no friendly chat or reassuring glances. 

“Let’s start.” Nat sits down opposite you, scraping the chair forward. “How did you trick the lie detector?” 

Your mouth gapes open slightly. They actually believed him! And they all look serious about it, gathered round the table. “I honestly don’t...”

“Who trained you?” She snaps.

Tony narrows his eyes. “Even Natasha struggles to get past this machine.”

You grit your teeth in exasperation, feeing the cool table under your clenched hands. “Look, I really have no idea what Loki was talking about. Isn’t he the God of lies?”

“How did you open the dimension?” She fires back at you, ignoring your question as the lie detector remains stubbornly silent. 

Tony puts his head in his hands. “Damn it, why is it you?”

“It’s not me!” 

“Loki may be a liar, but he tends to keep to his word in twisted ways, especially when he has something to gain.” He shakes his head. 

“Not this time, apparently! I’m just a student, I swear.” You huff, glaring down at the table. 

Natasha pauses momentarily, and looks up at Tony, who seems to have come to a similar conclusion of some sort. He turns to Steve. “Cap, can you go and get Loki for us?”

Your eyes widen slightly; that’s the last person you want to see right now. All too soon though, you see his face round the corner, followed by Steve and Thor, who apparently decided to tag along with his brother. They show him to a chair next to you where he compliantly sits down, smiling at you mockingly. 

“Ok, Reindeer Games,” Tony begins. “You’re basically a murderous lie detector, right?”

His fake smile vanishes, and he doesn’t even try to hide the look of hate he shoots Tony. “It’s a little more sophisticated than that, tin can, but I cannot be lied to.”

“Alright, cool.” He points at you. “Go ahead, say what you were saying before.”

He’s going to tell you I’m lying no matter what! You yell in your head, seeing his stupid chiselled smug face, but you start anyway. “I’m just a student, honestly. I’m not magic! I just want to get out of here at this point.”

Tony points back at Loki, looking expectant. “Well?”

Loki raises an eyebrow momentarily, staring at you. Then, a smile slowly replaces the confusion. “Oh, now this is fun.” He purrs, tilting his head. “You really have no idea, do you?”

As you shake your head in confusion, you can almost see the amusement play across his lips. Then it vanishes, and suddenly he’s neutral again. “Oh well, not my problem.”

“What? No! You can’t do that! What don’t I know?”

“Brother, stop that.” Thor chides. 

“What is it?” Natasha growls at Loki. 

He stands up abruptly, and Steve takes a cautious step towards him. However, Loki just begins to pace the small room, appearing to be thinking. As his steps slow he appears to come to a conclusion, and turns to face everyone. “The mortal isn’t lying.”

Tony stiffens slightly, anger lancing across his expression. He looks like he’s about to summon his suit and hit Loki into next week. “You said she was the magic caster.”

Loki narrows his eyes at him. “Why not both?”

You’re glad that you’re not the only one confused anymore; now everyone except the him looks bewildered. Loki just looks condescending, his default expression apparently. “She thinks she’s not lying, so it’s the truth to her.”

Nat’s face clears slightly. “You mean she hasn’t discovered her own abilities yet?”

You blink. “Uh, ‘she’ is right here. What’s going on? I’m not lying, so what’s the problem?”

Tony slumps on to a third chair, looking simultaneously relieved and concerned. “Thank God, I really didn’t want to have to ramp up the interrogation on you.”

You close your eyes briefly, enjoying the simple darkness as you try to process what Loki said. For you to not be lying, but also magic... The realisation doesn’t dawn on you, so much as crash down on you from a large height. “I’m the one who did all of this?”

Nat leans back, sighing. “Apparently so. I’m almost glad it’s you, I thought you couldn’t be the super-villain type.”

Clint agrees. “I’ve never seen a spy who looks quite as harmless as you do, to be honest.”

“But...”

Steve walks over and pats you on the shoulder. “Sorry we didn’t believe you, doll. People don’t usually mean it when they say they don’t know something around here.”

You stare at the grey flecked floor, confusion swirling in your mind. You have abilities? Or at the very least, the ability to make a boring room. You notice Tony and Steve fiercely debating something, and tune back in. 

“We can’t just let her go back into the world! If she can’t control it, what’s to stop it happening again, or injuring people?”

“Have you seen her? She couldn’t hurt someone if she tried!” Cap gestures wildly at you. 

“It’s not about trying.” Nat sighs. Then she turns to you as the two guys continue arguing. “Where do you live? Are you with family, or a roommate?” 

You shake your head. “I live alone. I just moved house actually, although I’m pretty sure I’ve lost the keys.”

Tony smirks at Cap as you say this. “See, now she has to stay here. Unless you want to kick someone out into the streets at night with no food.”

Steve sighs, ruffling his hair and glancing at you with resignation. “I don’t like it, but would you be alright staying here with us for a while? Fury gets annoyingly controlling over things like this, as much as you have the right to leave.”

From behind your chair you hear a scornful laugh, and you realise you’ve forgotten about Loki’s presence. 

“You call restrictive bracelets and house arrest ‘annoyingly controlling’?” 

“Yeah, I’d say this doesn’t apply to the psychopathic mass murderer.” Tony waves him off, ignoring his blazing glare. “You’d be free to come and go, we’d just provide a room for you to stay in, and you’d probably have to take part in a few tests to see if we can help with those powers.”

You nod slowly. “That doesn’t sound too bad.” In your head through, you’re screaming. What happened to your nice simple life? You’re moving in with superheroes? 

Thor steps forwards too. “Don’t worry, Lady Y/N. You won’t come to any harm while you are with us.”

You look up at him, fear finally fading, and smile slightly. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice here.”

Thor laughs, the sound dissolving all the tension in the room. “You may be right about that, my Lady.”

***

Apparently the room you were staying in before was just a temporary guest room, as Tony steers you down an entirely different area five floors up. You aren’t actually focused on the way that you’re going though; your gaze is trained on your feet as you’re stuck in thought. Who would have thought that you’d have the ability to make... really boring rooms. Cool. For once there’s nobody holding you to stop you from running away, which is an extra bonus though. 

“This floor is for you and Thor’s room.” Tony starts speaking but pauses for a moment, then continues. “Technically Loki stays here too, but he’s right next to Thor just to keep him under control. If he causes you any problems just tell one of us. He usually keeps to himself anyway, so don’t worry.”

You take a deep breath. It should be fine, right? It’s not as if he even has his magic anymore. 

The two of you reach a door, and Tony opens it for you, holding it as you walk in. You resist the urge to gasp as you see the interior - it’s spacious and tidy, with a large circular bed, balcony, and massive windows covered in cream drapes. Tony lets the door shut behind him. 

“I hope this is alright for now, it’s the default arrangement. If you want to change anything just ask Jarvis; he’ll order the materials and it should be done up for the next time you need to use it.” He says apologetically. 

You open your mouth and close it again. “No, this is amazing.” You’re being truthful; your old place was tatty in comparison, and... well, your current place doesn’t have any furniture unpacked, to say the least. 

“Right, well glad that’s sorted.” He claps his hands. “Next. You don’t have any stuff, do you. Everyone needs stuff, what do you want? If you want makeup you’ll have to ask Natasha, but if you need anything electrical just ask me. As for clothes, tell Jarvis your sizes and preferences and he’ll get some in for you.”

You shake your head quickly, about to reject his offer, but he interrupts. “Don’t disagree with me please. It’s not an offer, I’m telling you to buy stuff. I’m not exactly poor, if you hadn’t noticed. A few clothes won’t make a scrape, trust me.”

Giving in, you ask for a phone if possible, and make a note to ask Jarvis for things to wear later. 

After giving you a chance to look around your new room, and making sure you know which door it is, Tony offers to take you to the common room for a formal introduction to the whole team. On the way, Cap joins you. 

“Hey Y/N, Stark.” He greets, nodding in Tony’s direction. 

You smile at him, noting that his face is lit up as it was earlier. “Hey Steve! Sorry about creating so much trouble around here...”

He brushes off your apology. “Don’t worry about it. We have bigger problems than that when we run out of food for the Asgardians.” 

You’re glad you haven’t created too many issues for them, and the three of you fall into step until you reach the comfy-looking room you saw when you first arrived. Cap goes in first, sitting down on a long sofa which already has Nat and Clint on it. Looking around, you see Loki is back in his corner, not even looking up from another book. Tony enters next, standing by a sofa with Bruce and Thor. You enter shyly, hovering next to him.

“I’m sure you all know already, but I’m just making sure. This is Y/N, she’ll be staying here for the foreseeable future. Are there any complaints?” 

Before he can say anything, Tony points at Loki. “You don’t get a vote in this, trickster.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Loki growls, flipping his book closed. “One more mortal won’t have any impact on me.”

Tony chooses to ignore him, heading to sit down between Bruce and Thor. The rest of the team start to greet you or wave hello, and you begin to feel welcome as nobody complains. You decide to try to have a proper conversation with Bruce too, as you haven’t done that yet. 

You go to sit down near him, but the sofa is lower than you expected and your stomach drops as you fall. A familiar sense of vertigo washes over you, your hearing drops out, and you just have time to roll your eyes and sigh before your vision flashes black. 

You open your eyes, dizziness fading, to see a familiar white wall. You’re back in the room, except this time it’s only just big enough for about three people. 

“Seriously? Now?” You exhale in annoyance and start looking around for a way out. Unfortunately, the room is exactly the same as before; there are no flaws or handholds, and definitely no doors or windows to leave through. After a few minutes you begin to just bang on the walls in desperation, until finally you flop onto the floor in concession, giving up. 

You’re just about to fall asleep about half an hour later, curled up on the floor, when a flickering light behind you attracts your attention. Getting up quickly, you spin around to see Dr Strange stepping through a portal in the wall looking irked. Your eyes close with relief. “Oh, thank God. I thought I’d be stuck here forever.”

He raises an eyebrow. “It was you in the end, was it? I thought you looked a little less panicked than the others.”

You smile with embarrassment, picking at your sleeve. “Yeah, sorry about that... And this too.”

He frowns, looking around. “What are you doing in here again, by the way? It seems just as dull as before.”

You nod. “I haven’t quite... got the hang of this yet. I only just found out it was my doing, to be honest.” Suddenly you remember where you were before, and panic flashes through your mind. “Uh oh.”

“‘Uh oh’ what?”

“I was just with the Avengers.” You admit. “I’m not sure how well they’ll take to me vanishing from the tower.”

“Not very well, knowing them.” He remarks shortly, sighing. 

You bite your lip. “You wouldn’t be able to help get me out of here again, would you?”

He pretends to think for a moment. “Fine. I don’t think Stark would take it very well if I left you here anyway. Last time though, I’m not your personal transport.”

In your head you’d rather not use his portal again; it drained you quite significantly last time and just felt bad overall. However, it’s the preferred alternative to being trapped in here for the rest of your life so you traipse through apologetically, squinting in the brightness. 

You exit the portal in the tower’s common room, where once more everyone is staring at you. Dr Strange pushes you forwards from behind him. “I’ve brought you a gift, Stark. Hope you appreciate it.”

You give everyone a small wave, and smile awkwardly. “Hi again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it’s a bit slow, I promise there’ll be a ton more of Loki in the next chapter! Thanks for the kudos <3


	4. A Plan is Formed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stark has to decide what to do now that he’s realised you can’t control your powers. What could go wrong?

The first person to move is Steve, who jumps up from the sofa and guides you to the nearest seat. 

“Just sit here, doll. No more vanishing, alright?” He winks in that way only Captain America can, and you laugh quietly, still reeling from the chain of events.

“Think of this as a favour, but know that next time I won’t be there to bring her back.” Dr Strange points out from his position in the middle of the room.

Steve nods from beside you, looking serious, but Tony narrows his eyes at him as if to show his disapproval. Then he clears his throat, addressing you. 

“How often do you think this is going to happen?” He looks as if he’s more concerned about Dr Strange’s repeated presence than your vanishing though, to be honest. 

“...I’m just going to recommend nobody tries to surprise me.” You admit. “It seems to be triggered when I’m startled for now.”

Stark sighs, looking mildly annoyed. “Nope, that’s not gonna work around here. We can hardly go a week without someone trying to kill another person.” He shoots a glare at Loki, who gives him an innocent look of denial. 

Dr Strange begins to walk out of the door inconspicuously, and Tony catches the back of his cape. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“...Away?” He deadpans, straight-faced. 

“No way, you need to help to stop her from disappearing every time someone sneezes too loudly.”

He lifts his arm, brushing Tony’s hand off him roughly. “I don’t need to do anything for you, Stark. I certainly don’t have time to be teaching someone magic of a level that even I can’t perform, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

Tony scoffs, and looks like he’s about to retaliate until Bruce steps in. 

“Well, thanks for helping to bring her back.” He says calmly, soothing the tension in the room a little. “Leave it, Tony.”

Dr Strange nods, amicable once more. “A pleasure, Dr Banner.”

Tony goes to speak again, but a look from Bruce silences him. “We can take it from here, don’t worry.”

You’re not sure that you can take it from here considering you don’t even know how you’re doing any of this, but you stay quiet, letting the guys settle the argument while Nat and Clint ask you questions in rapid fire. 

“Where’d you go?” That was Clint. 

“What does it look like out there?” Nat chips in. 

“How did you do that again?”

You hold up your hands in mock surrender. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty boring. Just an empty room and a lot of dizziness.”

They both look disappointed, and Natasha slumps back on the black leather sofa. “You’d think something called a ‘pocket dimension’ would at least be slightly interesting.”

“Especially considering Strange’s interest.” Clint admits. 

You nod, the adrenaline fading out of your system. “For such an inconvenient power, I wish it actually did something fun.”

You hear a bored drawl from the corner, and have to resist rolling your eyes. Time for yet another unwanted opinion, you guess. 

“It’s your own fault, you know. It’s not as if anyone is forcing the lack of a basic imagination on you.”

You splutter indignantly. “This has nothing to do with my imagination!” 

Loki idly flicks the page of his book, not looking up. “On the contrary, it just proves how low-level you mortals are. Honestly, haven’t you figured anything out yet?”

“Ignore him, he’s just grumpy because Stark hasn’t gifted him a new bracelet yet.” Clint grins, saying it just loud enough for Loki to hear too. He just shoots a withering glare in response, and turns back to his book. Meanwhile, Tony is still debating with Bruce, Dr Strange apparently already having vanished away a while ago. 

“Are you sure we can do that?”

“You know we can, Tony. You just don’t want to, and I understand that, but it’s not the same as with Loki.”

Tony rubs his face, looking frustrated. “Yeah, I know. It just feels wrong.”

“It’s not a bad thing, it will help her.” Bruce tried to comfort him. 

“What will help me?” You interrupt. Anything grouping you and Loki together doesn’t exactly sound great. 

Nat shares your look of concern. “What are you two up to now?”

With a brief pause Stark appears to regain most of his confidence, spinning on his heels to face you. “No offence, but I don’t think anyone here is a massive fan of you vanishing unpredictably.” 

Steve nods and you agree. It’s understandable that they’d prefer people not popping in and out randomly, and it’s probably a massive inconvenience for Jarvis too, as he has to try and track everyone’s whereabouts at once. You’d imagine it would be pretty difficult to track you to another dimension. 

“Well, we have a solution.” He glances at Bruce and mutters, “Not a great one,” then turns back to you, “But it should solve the problem, albeit temporarily.”

Bruce steps forwards, hands clasped anxiously. “We can make a suppression device, similar to the one removing Loki’s magic, which will stop you warping away unexpectedly or by accident. It won’t hurt or anything, don’t worry. You wouldn’t have any access restrictions like Loki either. It’s mainly because of Fury - he’s not great with uncontrolled mutants, trust me, and we’re worried about his reaction for now.”

You stand up, eager. “That sounds perfect! I don’t exactly enjoy the experience either.”

Tony relaxes slightly, looking unconvinced. “I was expecting more resistance. People don’t usually take well to restrictions on their powers.”

Bruce tilts his head. “Although to be fair, our only frame of reference is Loki.”

You wince and Thor laughs, making you jump slightly. “My brother is no ‘frame of reference’. He has always been overly dramatic, do not worry.”

“I am not dramatic.” Loki growls. 

“Well, what about that incident with Volstagg, when he borrowed a dagger from your chambers and-“

Loki gets up abruptly. “That never happened.”

“But it did, don’t you remember? You went up to him and he-“ 

“That. Never. Happened.” He hisses, and you almost feel bad for him as he shoots a clear glare of desperation at the oblivious Thor, who looks happy to recount the story to his poor, forgetful brother.

Steve apparently takes pity too, as he steers the topic back on course. “As much as I’d love to hear about this later, would you mind if we dealt with the current situation first?”

“Yes, of course.” 

Tony seems to have perked up somewhat, as he says “Why don’t you come on down to the labs now? I can get the measurements done and we can complete them as soon as possible.”

You nod your head rapidly. “Yes, please.” 

Steve raises his hand suddenly, and Clint grins at him. 

“You’re not at school, Capsicle. What is it?”

“Oh, I was going to suggest I go back to the cafe Y/N said she left her stuff at, to see if I can recover anything.” His hand falls slowly, and he looks suitably abashed. 

Tony nods. “Good idea. We’ve got nothing better to do, so if you could go with him, Romanoff?” He turns back to you as Nat gets up without complaint. “Come on, it shouldn’t take long to adapt the designs.”

As you follow him to the elevator, you feel the need to apologise again. “I’m sorry for all the chaos and inconvenience I’ve caused. If I knew it was me I would have told you from the start, I promise.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t worry too much, new arrivals here are always quite dramatic. Take Thor for example; when he first visited, it almost resulted in the destruction of New York. All you’ve done is vanished a couple of times, and you’re practically half my height - hardly a threat to the world.”

You laugh quietly, feeling assured. It’s amazing; you’ve only been here for almost two days yet you already feel so welcome and at home. As the two of you step into the lift, he pauses, blinks and turns back to face you.

“No, now that I’m thinking about it, you’re seriously so tiny. Do you not eat or something?”

You shake your head, laughing again. “You’re just really tall. You must have got used to being surrounded by supermodel sized people, like Thor and Steve. Although to be honest, being a broke college student has resulted in a couple of nights where I’ve had to have a nap for dinner.”

He narrows his eyes, stepping out as Jarvis announces the 22nd floor. You follow him, trying to keep up with his strides. “Last time I checked, sleep wasn’t edible.”

“Isn’t that a bit hypocritical? That leaked interview from one of your assistants said you hardly ever leave your lab to eat.”

“I’m not a growing student. I happen to know a certain college-age boy, and he eats enough for at least two people.”

You shrug, getting breathless as you try to keep up. You get a chance to catch your breath and reply as he stops by a wide glass door with a silver keypad. “I eat if I have time, and depending on what I have available to me.” 

“You should ask Loki to make something for you at some point.” He says pointedly. 

“Loki? You trust him to cook and not kill everyone?”

He nods, the door sliding away from him soundlessly. “He’s surprisingly good. Apparently he picked up recipes from Asgard, and in his words, he ‘takes too much pride in his work to tarnish it with arsenic’.”

You mull over the thought in your head. “I doubt he’d do anything I asked him to. He seems to hate me already.”

Tony barks out a laugh, clearing the nearest workbench with one sweeping movement of his arm. “Don’t take it personally, he hates everyone. Unfortunately, your first objective in the tower is to try and get into his good books.” He taps a small screen off to the side, and an array of holograms spread across the surface. “Arm, please.”

You hold out your right arm obediently and he pulls you forwards, positioning your wrist directly in the centre of the bench. Blinking, you watch incredulously as his fingers dance in the air, making seemingly invisible adjustments. 

“What do you think of an emergency release?” He asks without looking up.

You shrug, being careful to avoid moving your arm. “I guess it could be useful.”

“Great.” He zooms in on a complicated diagram, and continues fiddling with the parts. “Colour preference?” 

You pause briefly, thoughts flicking to the smooth sea-glass that your mom gave you, hanging around your neck. “I wouldn’t mind greens or browns.”

Tony’s hands stop momentarily. Then they move even faster than before as he glances up, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Yeah, I can do that. What do you think of green and gold?”

You nod happily, glad that it will match your necklace. As he positions a circular hologram around your wrist, adjusting the size and shape, he begins to talk again.

“So as I said, you’ve gotta get into Loki’s good books.”

You frown. “Why? I thought you told me before to avoid him.”

He breathes in deeply, then sighs. “Yeah, and if things were different I would make sure you were kept far away from him.”

You tilt your head, watching the hologram take on colour. “Then why...?”

“You probably heard what Strange was saying. He has no clue how to work your kind of magic. Unfortunately, Loki is the strongest caster we know of right now, and he’s not only able to recognise your power, but also knows exactly what it is. Unless you want to wear this bracelet your whole life, we’ve got to figure out how you can learn to use your powers.”

You bite your lip. Loki is the only one who could help you? To be honest, that sounds just about right judging by your luck.

“Are you sure Thor doesn’t...?”

Tony snickers. “No way. Point Break is great at everything physical, but he has no interest in studying magic, or anything for that matter.”

You slump in disappointment. 

“Don’t worry. As long as you aren’t myself or Thor, he shouldn’t have a personal vendetta against you. I’ll tell him he has to help or I’ll increase his restrictions, and he already knows if he hurts anyone we’re shipping him off to Fury.”

You nod, still semi-anxious. Before you can dwell on it too much though, Tony bangs his hand against the table, making you jump. 

“Finished!”

You look down at your wrist to see that the hologram has adapted significantly since you last saw it. It’s much slimmer, and looks sleek and polished. In terms of colouring, it appears to be shiny gold and green metal intertwined in a simple braid, with a milky-green flattened oval pressed just over your pulse point. You exhale in surprise. “Wow, it looks so much nicer than I expected! Thank you!” 

Stark nods with an air of pride. “Jarvis should complete the assembly any second, so its good that you like it. I’ve gotta say, Loki was nowhere near as grateful for my work.”

You shake your head jokingly. “I wonder why.”

“The design is complete, sir.” Jarvis’s voice announces, drawing your attention to the miniature podium on the table where the cuff has appeared. 

“Thanks Jarvis.” You reply impulsively, then pretend not to notice Tony’s fake hurt look. “What? He built it.”

“I designed it!” He scowls. “Anyway, this is it.” He holds it out, and you thread your hand through as directed. It immediately shrinks in on itself until it’s just snug against your skin, the only pressure point being the marble-looking oval. “Don’t brag about it too much, it’s nicer than Loki’s. You’ve got less restrictions, and the stress monitor will let you release the catch in times of emergencies.”

You nod slowly, awestruck. 

He gestures to the door. “Come on, let’s go back upstairs. What’s your mission?”

“Make friends with Loki.” You recite.

“Yeah.” He frowns. “Although it sounds quite bad when you put it like that. I’ll have to get you to sign a non-disclosure; I don’t want the press thinking I’m forcing everyone to be BFFs with a super villain.”

“Don’t worry, I doubt I’ll ever be anything close to his BFF.” You grumble. 

“Oh, one other thing,” he pauses with his hand on the door. “Just so you’re aware, there’s a brief period of warm-up time for the cuff to adjust to you, and stabilise. I’m gonna have to insist that you don’t leave the tower until then, sorry.”

You smile, admiring the bracelet. It looks just as nice as it did it the hologram, if not better. The intertwined colours match perfectly, and it’s incredibly smooth and comfortable. “No problem. Thanks for all the help, although I still have no idea how to talk to Loki.”

Stark appears to think for a moment, then takes his hand away from the door. “You know what?” He grins. “I’m feeling extra-generous today. I think I’ll help you with that, too.”

You blink, getting a bad feeling from his expression. “No, it... it’s alright. I’m sure I’ll find a way.”

He steps away from the door, ushering you back inside. “No, I’ve got this. Jarvis, call Loki down here please.”

Your eyes widen, and you mouth ‘No’ frantically. Tony’s face looks like he’s just reached the punchline of his favourite joke. 

“I believe he’s on his way now, Sir.” 

“Thanks, Jarvis. Tell him to be quick, won’t you?” 

Oh no. No no no. You look around desperately for a hiding place, but it’s so cluttered that every space is jam-packed full of tools and old gadgets. Even the floor under your feet is so messy that it’s difficult to find somewhere to step. 

“No, wait! Seriously, he hates me! You can’t do this!” 

Tony pats your head absent-mindedly. “You’ll be fine, kid. He may not be the most approachable, but he hasn’t got his powers right now, and I doubt he’ll drop-kick you unless you really piss him off.”

You let out a panicked sound of strangled exasperation and try to dive under the nearest bench, only to find it equally full. Of course, that’s when the door slides open, and Loki walks in. 

You watch as Tony instantly switches off the grin and looks serious, messing with a random hologram on the worktop. 

“What is it this time, Stark?” Loki growls, apparently not happy about being summoned. Great, he’s already in a bad mood. Perfect! You cheer sarcastically.

“I hope you remember that I haven’t been allowed access to the elevator, and there are a lot of stairs.”

Tony glances up, pretending to be absorbed in work. “Oh yeah, I have a job for you.”

Loki begins to stalk around the lab, looking fed up. “Considering you have not yet p...” Loki trails off, confusion clearly taking over. Apparently even the silver-tongued god is lost for words at the sight of you half crouched, half sprawled on the floor of the lab. 

You stare up at his face, breath catching momentarily in awe but fear taking over. Then you jump to your feet, making him shuffle back a little to avoid being head-butted on the chin. You hold out your arm for a handshake. 

“We haven’t been properly introduced. My name’s Y/N, nice to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> I’m so sorry for the break in updates, I had appendicitis and had to get my appendix removed so I was in hospital for a while. All I can say is thank god for the NHS :)
> 
> Next chapter will have you getting up close and personal with Loki, so look forward to that! Kudos and comments make my day, so thank you in advance :D


	5. Convincing Loki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony’s cunning plan involves throwing you to the sharks, and hoping you can swim. But will it work? How will you get along with the supposed villain of New York?

Loki blinks in vague surprise, then slowly turns on the spot to face Tony, making a point of ignoring your outstretched hand which you drop abruptly. 

“What is that thing doing here.” He glares daggers at him.

“That’s your job.” Tony’s grin returns, albeit hiding his previously scheming expression. “I’m very busy right now, so I want you to show Y/N back to her room; she doesn’t know the way yet and I’ve left new stuff and some clothes there for her.”

Loki scoffs, looking away in disbelief. “I’m a god. A higher form. And you’re asking me to be a map for this ridiculous creature?”

He nods solemnly, pointing at you. “Yes. She’s very lost and needs your help right now.” He deadpans. 

You flush with embarrassment, interjecting. “Excuse me, Tony? He really doesn’t need to...”

Tony interrupts. “Yeah he does, I’ve told him to. And it’s not as if you know the way, do you?”

You bite your lip. It’s true that you have no idea which way to go, but you could probably figure it out if you had to. “But...”

“Why not ask one of your people upstairs?” Loki is beginning to look suspicious. “Why do you trust me to not push her down an elevator shaft or something?”

You shoot a desperate look at Tony. You’re going to have to agree with Loki here. 

“Everyone’s probably busy right now. I know you wouldn’t do something like that, because you’d be the one I’d make clean it up.” He fires back. 

Loki tuts, but doesn’t complain any more. He motions for you to follow him, then begins to stalk out. Just before you leave, Tony catches your shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about Reindeer Games,” he whispers conspiratorially, “he’s all bark and no bite.” Unfortunately, Tony’s whisper is closer to a normal person’s speaking volume, so all it achieves is increasing Loki’s bad mood just before you’re left alone with him. 

“Do I need to remind you that you owe me a favour?” He doesn’t even turn around. 

Tony sighs. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get round to it later. Off you two go now.”

As the door closes silently behind the two of you, you’re certain that Loki is purposefully ignoring you, or at least blocking out your existence mentally. He doesn’t look over to make sure that you’re following or anything before he’s striding down the corridor, the black leather he’s wearing somehow making no sound. You trot after him, catching up as best you can. Before you even get halfway down the corridor it’s too much for you though.

“Can... can you wait up?” You gasp out, cursing your negative fitness level mentally. 

“Keep up then.” He snaps. 

“I’m trying!” You splutter. He glances back at you in irritation, then to your surprise he actually stops for a moment.

“I forgot you mortals were so slow.” He sighs, then looks at you a little longer. “Although... you’re smaller than most, aren’t you?”

You huff. “I’m not small, you’re all ridiculously tall.” You point at his legs in frustration. “Look! You’re all leg, it’s not fair.”

He looks down at his legs too, and frowns. “I’m not all leg. I’m perfectly proportioned; it’s not my fault that your legs are too short.”

“I’m not short, you’re too big.” You growl. 

He glares, then turns around abruptly, walking away without waiting again. As you run after him, you’re almost convinced that he has slowed his pace down somewhat, as you’re no longer so out of breath and you can catch up. As you get towards the end of the corridor, he goes to turn into the stairwell. Confused, you pause him. 

“The lift’s there.” You point at the metal doors helpfully. 

He looks at you blankly, and it clicks in your head that he’s not allowed to use it - it must be one of his restricted areas that Tony was talking about. 

Loki starts to walk back to the stairs, but you stop him again, biting your lip. Your floor is at least 20 flights up, and you’re pretty sure you have no restrictions in relation to using the elevator. It’s probably fine as long as he’s accompanied, right? If anything goes wrong you can always take the blame. 

“Come on, let’s just take it anyway. It’s not like anything will happen.” 

Loki looks at you dubiously, mild irritation and scorn in his eyes. “Do you even know how to use it?”

“I mean, not as such... But it can’t be that hard, can it. Thor could work it out, couldn’t he?” 

Too late, you go to bite your tongue, realising that bringing up Thor in front of the person who was captured and imprisoned by him, as well as being the younger brother of him, may not have been a great idea. To your surprise though, he lets out a brief laugh. It’s not cruel laugh either; it’s genuinely pleasant, as short as it is. 

“Yes, well. It doesn’t take very much to stump him, so as long as you have more intelligence than a vegetable, you may be able to work it out.”

You nod in resigned acceptance. “Thanks.” It’s probably better to take it as a compliment at this point. It’s not as if you’re going to get anything better. 

“Ok, um...” you search the exterior for a button to call the elevator, but there’s nothing. There isn’t even a keypad, just the closed metal doors. 

“I could be halfway up the stairs by now, you now.” He remarks from behind you. 

You wave your hand behind your back at him. “Shhh. I’ve got this.”

Thirty seconds later, you still haven’t got this. It shouldn’t be this hard! You curse Tony’s designing skills mentally; his creations should be more user-friendly. 

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Shhhh.” You hiss at him. “I’m getting there, ok?”

He laughs, and this time it’s definitely not friendly. You spin around to huff at him.  
“Aren’t you meant to be the god of mischief or whatever? Surely you could cause more mischief by going in the lift than by standing outside making unhelpful comments!”

“Are you admitting that you need my help?” A triumphant look plays across his face, and you groan. 

“I don’t need it. I’m just saying, you could if you wanted to.”

He thinks about it for a moment, and then cooly turns to face a panel you assumed was for lights. “Jarvis, call the lift.”

“I’m sorry, you do not have the authorisation for that.” Jarvis’s voice replies. 

Loki gives you a smug look, and you roll your eyes. 

“Jarvis, call the elevator please.”

“Certainly, Ms Y/N. One moment, please.”  
You’re almost disappointed that it worked; now Loki is twice as cocky as before. 

The doors open with a ping, and you step in, Loki following after you looking pleased with himself. As the doors close, you try to break the silence once more. 

“Why are you banned from here anyway?” You’re genuinely wondering; you can’t see any reason to not allow it other than the physical torment of having to climb so many stairs all the time. 

“I asked Jarvis to go up to the 94th floor.” 

“But I though there were only 93?” You ask in confusion. 

“I know.” He smirks. “I wanted to find out what would happen, and he interpreted it very literally. It took Stark a month to clear the rubble from the roof and repair the chains.”

You nod slowly, trying not to look overly concerned. You thought Tony said this was safe! “You aren’t going to do that this time, right?”

He tilts his head as if considering the idea, then dismisses it. “No. I’d be fine, but you would turn into mortal jam, and I happen to quite like these clothes.”

“Oh. Thanks?” 

He just nods in acknowledgment, and the elevator returns to silence. Honestly, for a super villain he hasn’t been as evil as you expected so far. He hasn’t kicked any puppies on the way, and the conversation hasn’t all been awful. At least he’s actually talking now as well, rather than just cocking his eyebrow and mocking you. When you think back to the New York disaster that had been all over the news, he seemed like an entirely different person. He’s stuck up, sure, but it’s nothing worse than you’ve experienced from the rich kids in college who’ve suddenly realised they aren’t special and are compelled to take it out on others. Thinking about it, maybe that’s similar to his situation; he’s a supposed god amongst people, after all. 

You glance over at him surreptitiously, and are once again struck by his appearance. He’s almost the exact opposite of Thor, even though they are brothers. His swept back hair frames his sculpted face very nicely, as much as it pains you to admit it, and the contrast of jet black and pale skin creates a stunning effect. Where Thor exudes friendliness and positive cheer, Loki seems contrastingly unreadable, like now. His face doesn’t give away anything about what he’s thinking, and you get the feeling the only expression you’ll ever get to see is irritation. For some reason, that bothers you slightly. It’s not as if you’re always smiling or anything, but it would be nice to see. 

You hear him clear his throat, and break out of your thoughts to realise that you’ve arrived on your floor but you’re still staring. He looks away, so you can’t see his face anymore, and you wonder if you’ve insulted him somehow. Before you can say anything he’s already out of the elevator, leaving you to trail behind as you try to memorise the route once more. It seems to get harder every time, although maybe you’re just distracted by a certain someone. 

By the time you get to your room, you’ve thoroughly confused yourself, and your legs feel exhausted. Loki stops too, on the opposite side of the corridor, and you look at him confused. 

“I thought my room was this side?”

“I’m here.” He says, vaguely motioning to the door he’s standing by. 

You blink. “So when Tony said you were on the same floor as me...”

Loki ignores you. “Thor’s quarters are four doors down, so if you need anything, feel free to go bother him.”

Your first reaction is one of displeasure. Great, you have to live knowing that this cocky, selfish, good-looking dick is sleeping just opposite you. However, it quickly morphs into relief as you realise it will make your mission much easier. You rock back and forth on your heels briefly as you think of how to best approach the subject, but quickly remember that he’d be able to see through any lie you made up. It’s better to be straightforward about it anyway.

He’s already on his way into his room, so you’ve got to act fast. “Anyway, Loki...”

He shoots you a look of bored hostility. “I just told you to go annoy Thor.”

“But I need your help.” You sigh, running a hand through your hair in irritation. You really didn’t like saying that, especially since you can guess how someone like him will react. 

His expression perks up instantly, into curiosity and amusement. “What did you say?”

You grit your teeth. “I need you to help me, alright?”

“What could I possibly do to help you?”  
He raises an eyebrow, the mischief clearly still playing across his face. 

“It’s about the whole disappearing thing I have going on. I’m not into it.”

He exaggerates surprise. “Oh really?”

“Yes, really.” You growl, then try to compose yourself. “Tony said you know magic, so I was hoping you could teach me to... I don’t know, not vanish?”

He appears to think for a moment. “What do I get out of it?”

“Huh?”

“Well, I’m not going to share my knowledge for free, you know. You’re inconveniencing me, so you should be offering compensation.” 

You take a deep breath, sighing in resignation. This conceited, selfish prick is the one thing standing between you and the control of your abilities, and there’s no way you’re going to let him stop you. 

“What do you want?” 

Satisfaction dances in his eyes as he smiles. “I knew you’d come around.” 

“Ok, whatever. Let’s get the gloating out of the way, and move on to you asking for something.”

“If I could ask for anything...” He looks pensive. “I want to leave this tower.” He grins, and it reminds you of the cheshire cat. 

“Leave? Like escape?”

“Yes, I want to escape and plan world domination.” He pauses for a moment as you blink in shock, then sighs. “Clearly not, or I wouldn’t be telling you. I just want to go to the library.”

“The... the library?” That’s not very supervillain-like, you think. 

“I read all the books I was provided with, and they’re awful. I want to pick out some for myself.”

You contemplate it. Setting Loki free is probably very high up on the ‘do not do’ list, but luckily you haven’t been given that list yet. You’re certain that Tony would not approve of what you’re going to say next, but if it’s for the sake of the mission, then surely what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him? Loki seems to have assumed that you have enough influence to help him, so...

You look up at him. “Deal.”

His grin spreads across his face. “Excellent. We’ll start in the morning.”

Now is probably not a good time to mention that you aren’t allowed outside either at the moment, you reckon. That one can come later, when Loki is in a better mood and after you’ve learned a few things from him. 

Loki turns away, still emanating satisfaction, and steps into his room, closing the door behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, you let the tension of the day drain from your body, and decide to head in too. 

Going into your room and shutting the door behind you, you realise that what Tony said earlier wasn’t entirely an excuse. As well as a small bag of hygiene products, there’s also a pile of folded clothes on the bed. As you walk in, you realise the closet is full too, and the ones on the bed are extra items that wouldn’t fit. You shake your head in surprised gratefulness. You weren’t expecting anything like this; more just a few tops and bottoms, or hand-me-downs from Nat. Examining the closet more carefully, you can tell everything is in your size, and even your colour preferences have been paid attention to. 

You smile sincerely, feeling glad that everyone here has been so welcoming and accommodating. A thought occurs to you, and you act on it impulsively. 

“Jarvis, can you tell all the members of the Avengers thanks from me?”

After a pause in which you think it may be beyond his capabilities, Jarvis replies. 

“Certainly, Ms Y/N. I’ve sent a thank you message to Mr Stark, Thor, Dr Banner, Ms Romanoff, Clint and Captain Rogers. Is that all?”

“Thank you.” You say, laughing a little at the extreme variation in how he’s been asked to address each member. “Would you mind just calling me Y/N?”

“Of course. Please ask if there is anything else you require.”

You smile, and collapse on to the large bed, thinking over the extreme events of the day. Over the next half an hour or so, you enjoy getting replies from the team as they welcome you. To be honest, your personal favourite was the message from poor Steve, who apparently has yet to get a grip on technology. 

“...Jarvis? How do I.... Hello, Jarvis?”

Jarvis interrupts the message with a brief “the message is recording, Captain Rogers.”

“Oh, really? Right now?”

“Yes. Please state your reply, if you would like to answer.”

“Ok, I just want to tell Y/N that she’s very welcome here, and all that. Oh, and I’ve managed to pick up her bag and phone, the café manager had them. Where do I type?”

Jarvis almost sounds frustrated. “I am recording you, Captain Rogers.”

“Wow, tech has really advanced. I’ve got to hand it to Stark; he and his dad have done good work.”

There’s about thirty seconds of silence before Jarvis has to try one last time. 

“Are you done with your message?”

“What?” There’s a startled rustle from Cap, and then the recording ends. 

You must have replayed it about twelve times so far. You’ve saved it, and you’re almost tempted to make it your ringtone once you recover your phone. 

Before you realise it, you’re waking up with your wrist and bracelet pressed up against your cheek, leaving an undesirable set of indentations. You don’t even remember falling asleep, but it’s somehow already very early morning. That makes sense considering you apparently accidentally went to bed in the late afternoon. 

After a reconnaissance mission during which you manage to work the elevator, find your way to the kitchen and get offered a breakfast of pop-tarts by a friendly morning Thor, you head back upstairs. Fortunately on the way up you bump into the very man you were looking for; Steve. 

“Hi!” You smile, and shield your eyes as he glows with a bright smile in return. 

“Good morning, Y/N! I actually wanted to tell you I found your things at the café if you want them now.”

You thank him, hiding your laughter.  
“I actually heard about that from somewhere already. I was just looking for you, but I realised I have no idea where everyone’s rooms are except mine, Loki’s and Thor’s.” 

He tuts, looking serious. “That won’t do. I’ll show you around, and we can pick up your bag on the way.”

As you walk around, he points out places of interest like a balcony with the best view or a gaming room, and explains the layout. 

“As you know, you and Thor share a floor. I have a floor to myself, Clint and Natasha share a floor, and Tony has the top few floors along with a lab.” He pauses for a moment as the two of you climb a floor, then continues. “Bruce has a lab of his own too, but he doesn’t stay in the tower very often.”

You nod along, asking questions at the right times and laughing at his cheesy jokes, which all sound at least 50 years out of date. When you reach his floor, you wait at the entrance to his room as he goes to fetch your things. He brings the bag out out to you cheerily, and as you reach to take it your sleeve rides up slightly. When he sees the bracelet, his smile falters.

“I’m sorry about all of this. I know you don’t mean any of us harm.”

You shake your head quickly. “I don’t mind at all, it’s actually more convenient this way. Plus I’m going to visit Tony next to ask about how to use it properly.”

Steve looks relieved. “I’m glad to hear that. Don’t worry about anything too much; everyone is here to try and help you, and if you have any issues don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you so much.” You say sincerely, looking up at him. “For getting my stuff, and for helping me out. It means a lot.”

He pats your head. “Don’t overthink it too much. It’s what we do here.”

Your next stop, after dropping off your bag, is with Tony. He’s in his lab, messing with some chunk of metal on one of the benches, although he pauses immediately when he sees you waiting outside the glass doors. 

He lets you in with a grin. “Wow, you’re alive!”

You roll your eyes. “Not funny, Tony. Don’t throw me in the deep end like that again.”

He pouts. “I bet it worked though.”

“No... well, yes... but now he thinks I’m weird.”

“He didn’t need me to make him think that about you, trust me.”

Now it’s your turn to pout. “Stop being mean, I came to ask for your help.”

“Alright, what can I do for you?”

You sit down on the corner of the bench, ignoring his disapproving look. “I’ve got a special magic lesson scheduled for this morning, so I was just wondering how that’s going to work with the restrictions on.”

Tony nods, looking more serious as he’s back in his element. “I built a release catch in yours that wasn’t in the previous design.” He motions for you to hold out your wrist and he grabs it, pointing at the pastel green oval over your pulse. “You remember I said you can release this when it senses extreme stress in an emergency?”

You nod, admiring the bracelet once more. 

He traces a line down the middle of the oval, then squeezes the points on the opposite ends between two fingers. The middle line he traced suddenly appears as a crack, and the bracelet falls off as the two halves separate. 

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be an emergency to release the catch. I trust that you’ll want to keep this on whenever you can, so feel free to take it off when you have to.”

You stare at the fallen bracelet open-mouthed. “It’s that easy?”

He nods proudly. “You’re welcome. Don’t abuse your new freedom, ok? And please try to put it back on as soon as you can. Like I said, it needs to stabilise properly and it won’t have adjusted yet. The more you wear it, the better it will work.”

You grin at him. “Thanks, you’re the best.”

He winks. “I know. Go and see Loki. If you never come back I know who I should beat up first.”

You turn as you’re leaving. “Wow, Tony Stark is encouraging a young civilian to face off a mass-murderer and city destroyer. No wonder you have such a good rep.” 

He laughs as you give him a playful glare. “I’d hardly call you a civilian anymore. You’re one of us now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update!  
> I felt bad for the gap so I accidentally wrote two chapters at once...  
> Hope you enjoyed (*'ω'*)


	6. Testing the Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki has agreed to help, so next is trying your first purposeful jump to a pocket dimension! How will it go?

You practically skip to the elevator, bouncing on the spot slightly as it goes up. Everything still feels like a dream, but the joy that set in when Tony said you were part of the team is definitely real. It’s only dampened slightly by the thought of what awaits you; a sarcastic god, and you get the sinking feeling that he won’t be much of a morning person. 

You knock at his door tentatively, aware that it’s still only 9am. To your surprise though he answers almost immediately, opening it and glowering down at you.

“You’re early.”

“You said the morning.” You shrug. “And you’re awake now, aren’t you?”

“Barely.” He complains, edging out and making sure to close his door behind him. “What is it with you mortals and ‘early starts’? It’s awful.”

“But you’re up and dressed too.”

“Not by choice.” He states with an air of finality, pushing past you and heading down the corridor. You follow close behind until he stops abruptly at the end of the hallway, causing you to collide into the back of him.

“What do you want now?”

“You said you’d teach me.”

He sighs, staring longingly at the stairwell leading to the kitchen. “This hardly counts as the morning. It’s still very late evening.”

You shake your head. “I’d understand calling any time when it’s dark late evening, but it’s 9am.”

He tuts, turning around. “You know what? Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“Great. Where should we go to do it?” You grin, triumphant. 

He thinks for a moment. “The corridor is too public, and there’s no way I’m ever letting you into my chambers. We’ll have to start off in yours, although the majority of the things that I tell you will be in the pocket dimension itself.”

You don’t argue or complain; you just lead the way back to the room. To be honest, the room you’re staying in still doesn’t really feel like ‘yours’. The decor is nothing like how you would usually have it, and none of your personal belongings are in there except your bag. As much as it means that you’re starting to get homesick, it also allows for you to invite Loki in without feeling like he’s intruding on a safe place. After all, you’ve only stayed for three days so far. 

The trek back is silent, but not as awkward as you’d expected; maybe it’s just because it’s morning and he’s tired, or maybe it’s because your talk with him yesterday didn’t go badly, but you feel surprisingly comfortable in his presence. Honestly, for the psychopath the media made him out to be, you expected much worse. 

You hold your door open for him and ignore his disapproving remarks as he looks around your less-than-tidy room. Finally, you manage to keep his attention for more than a few seconds. 

“Alright, what do I do first?”

He sniffs disdainfully. “This part should really come naturally. It’s a testament to your unsuitability, if I think about it.”

You rub your face in frustration. “I get it, you hate me and I’m mortal. Can you please just tell me what to do.”

He exhales. “Alright. Just centralise the Eidr in your chest, and let it expand.”

“What?”

“Your power? The soul? Just concentrate it.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t get this at all.”

“Fine then, I’ll start at elementary level. Think of the room you were in before. You said it was boring, right?”

You nod, picturing it. It was incredibly dull and plain white. “Now what?”

“Imagine yourself vanishing into nothing, or popping out of reality. Either will do.”

Finally, something you understand. You try to think of it as vividly as possible, imagining how it would feel to just disappear. “I’m doing it, but nothing’s happening.”

“I’d hope not.” He leans over and snags your sleeve with his hand, almost making you flinch. “If you did vanish without me being there, you could end up lost forever in a random dimension. Not that that’s my problem, but I’d rather go with you than face Stark’s questioning.”

“Good idea.” It hadn’t occurred to you that you’d have to transport both of you, but now that you think of it, Loki doesn’t have any abilities at the moment. 

“It wasn’t working because you haven’t channeled any power yet. In basic terms, try feel the heat across the inside of your body and then pool it in your upper chest. Once you can feel the concentration, try to push it outwards while focusing on disappearing and the space at once.”

You nod slowly. First, you feel for the heat he was talking about. You can vaguely understand what he means; warm patches pulsing in your hands and wrists, legs, feet and sides. Searching for each spot you imagine drawing them up and in, towards your upper body. You aren’t sure if it’s the placebo effect or you’re tricking yourself, but you’re almost certain that you can feel a fiery patch forming in your chest area. At length you glance up at Loki, who is waiting somewhat impatiently. 

“I think I’m done.”

He grazes the skin of your wrist with a finger and inclines his head. “You’re right. It’s not all the way there yet, but you’ve done something.”

You grin, feeling impressed with yourself. Of course, you have to take Loki’s word for it, as you can’t see the effects of anything you’ve supposedly achieved. 

“Now you’ve just got to picture what you want to do, and expel the heat at the same time.”

You fill your head with thoughts of the empty room and focus, feeling the fire rise and lap up the inside of your body, over your heart. You know whatever it is meant to do is working when the familiar vertigo washes over you. 

“I think something’s happening.” You say, or at least you think you do, because your hearing has already dropped out. Loki nods, saying something that you can’t quite make out. Then the power concentrates into a small spot and bursts out from the middle of your chest abruptly, like a hot water-bottle leaking into every part of you. At the same time your vision flashes black, and you’re in darkness briefly, during which you feel the carpeted floor drop out from beneath your feet. 

A matter of seconds later, your feet hit familiar smooth ground and your sight returns. However, instead of the usual sight of the white room, you see Loki. Your back is pressed up against the wall, and your arms are trapped at your waist by the walls either side. 

Loki looks to be in a similar position, as far as you can tell. You say that because you can’t see very much, on account of being pushed up against him. In all your wisdom you’ve managed to create a pocket dimension just large enough for the two of you, resulting in a cramped and very awkward fit. 

He clears his throat, and you feel his chest shift against you as he talks. “I thought expanding the space first was a given.” 

His usual condescending tone has vanished, and he seems taken by surprise. If you weren’t so shocked too, you would have sworn that he panicked slightly.

“Any time now.” He adds irritably as you show no signs of moving. His chest is surprisingly comfortable, and the warmth from the concentration of power in your chest is still radiating pleasantly. 

“Oh, uh...” You wince in embarrassment, certain that your cheeks are flushed red. “How?”

He glares down at you. “You created this space, didn’t you? Just do it!”

“Alright, alright! Wait a second.”

You try to focus, but really have no idea what you’re meant to be focusing on. Having Loki pressed up against you doesn’t exactly help either, as your heart is pounding in surprise. 

He snarls suddenly, surprising you. “I’ll do it myself then.”

In an instant, the room seems to flex around you, and the walls fly away on every side. You stumble backwards as Loki pushes you away from his chest and stalks towards a corner, which is somehow furnished with armchairs and bookshelves, complete with reading lamp. Huffing, you brush yourself off and look around the space. It’s totally transformed in comparison to how it usually looks; the walls are a textured soft grey colour, and the floor is carpeted. The lighting is low and dimmed as well, a contrast to the harsh brightness earlier. All in all, it seems quite cosy; not too big, but definitely big enough. 

“You didn’t need to shove me, I don’t exactly want to be stuck against you either.” You grumble, surprise wearing off. Loki ignores you, already curled up on a chair with a red leather-bound book.

“Where is this?”

He lets his head fall back slowly against the back of the chair, and sighs. “We’re still in the dimension pocket you created. I just edited it somewhat.”

“Somewhat?” You raise your eyebrows. “I’d say this is more than somewhat. How did you do it?”

“Secret.” He murmurs dismissively, already absorbed in the pages. 

Walking over to the chair, you pluck the book from his hands, ignoring his expression of intense dislike. 

“That’s not going to work. You said you’d teach me.”

“No I didn’t.”

“You did. You literally said you were going to five minutes ago.”

“Yes, well. I say a lot of things.” He muses. “I don’t remember that particular promise right now.”

You take a deep breath, pushing down the exasperation. “Why did you come here in the first place then?”

“I wonder. An experiment?”

“Am experiment on what?” 

He pushes himself upright, sitting properly in the dark grey chair. “You may have noticed the restrictions on my powers in the tower, as oblivious as you are. Judging by my ability to adjust this environment, a pocket dimension has enough electrical interference to block the restrictions, as I was hoping.”

Your mouth drops slightly as your eyes widen. “Wait, you have all your powers back?”

He tilts his head, smiling darkly. “Why, are you scared?”

You have to actively stop yourself from taking a step backwards. “No.”

He sighs, smirk dropping almost instantly. “I can tell when people lie, you know. It’s no fun.”

Clearing your throat, you try to shake off some of the anxiety. “It’s not meant to be fun.”

“You have no need to dwell on it or fear me too much. Stark knows we’re here and he would kill me if I went back without you. My powers will only work while I’m in here too, so it’s a temporary fix.” He waves you off dismissively. 

You nod, pulse racing still. It’s one thing to be in a room with a declawed Loki, but a full-power supervillain is another thing entirely. Your forehead creases in confused surprise as you realise he mentioned Tony. 

“You know he told me to ask you?”

Loki stands up, picking the book up from where you put it down and sliding it back into the mahogany bookshelf. He glides his fingers over the woodwork before turning to face you, looking slightly offended. 

“Who do you think I am? I knew something was up as soon as he asked me to escort you and lied about the others being busy.”

“Ah...” you bite your lip. Of course he noticed, he’s the god of mischief. “Are you still going to help me?”

“Probably. I have nothing better to do, and a bit of time with my powers every now and then would be more than comfortable.” He says, almost to himself. “I’m also still relying on your half of the deal.”

You nod tersely. You aren’t going to let your guard down yet, but it doesn’t seem like he wants to hurt you, as much as he teases. 

“I’d like to add a clause though...” he takes a predatory step towards you, and you stiffen. “It would be less messy for everyone involved if you made sure that the information that my powers are working in here do not leave this room.”

You immediately relax again, getting tired of the emotional rollercoaster Loki is putting you through nowadays. You were expecting something much worse. “That’s fine, Tony never told me to report back on anything so I’m not under any obligation to, and it’s not as if you have your abilities in the real world.”

He nods, looking satisfied.

“Ok, now for my part. How do I change the room’s size and stuff?”

He paces a small circuit in front of you on the grey rug, thinking. “When I was first taught about this, mother told me to picture the space as a malleable square of clay. The inside of the clay doesn’t matter for now, as you clearly need to start from the basics. Just... use the analogy of the block of clay, and focus on it.”

You nod, trying to picture it. However, when you get close to grasping it, it seems to drift just out of your reach. 

“It’s easier if you close your eyes at first.” He directs. “I’m not going to attack someone with no vision, don’t worry.”

You close your eyes, not even questioning him anymore. He has no reason to lie, after all. Sure enough, the clay block appears much more easily in your mind’s eye, and you say so. 

“Alright. Next, just imagine molding it, and stretch it almost. You want to change the amount of space in here, so focus on the size of the block.”

As you’re about to begin, he suddenly interrupts. “Ah, wait. I’d really recommend trying to make it larger first. If you make it smaller and don’t have control, we will more than likely end up as a crushed puddle.”

You open your eyes, glaring. “Shouldn’t you have mentioned that first?”

He shrugs. “Perhaps.”

You shake your head, muttering “perhaps?” under your breath in disbelief. Eyes closed again, it’s easier to focus in on the clay imagery, and you start trying to stretch it. For something that’s a product of your imagination, it’s surprisingly stubborn in not wanting to change shape, and you growl quietly in frustration. 

“It will try to resist.” Loki instructs. “Don’t let it - you should be the one in control. In Asgard we call it efni, the material state.”

His voice comes from closer than you expected, almost just in front of your face, but you try not to let it distract you. Instead, you concentrate all of your mind on the cube, and pull. 

At first, nothing happens. The room is silent, and the air is so still that you can almost feel Loki’s movements in front of you. 

Straining your concentration, you push all of your willpower into making the damn cube bigger. You can almost feel an external force on it, trying to fix it into place. 

Compulsively, you decide to ignore Loki’s advice, and specifically focus in on the external power acting against both you and the cube. It pushes back against you almost painfully, and a kind of mental tug of war begins. Loki stays surprisingly quiet and patient, and gradually you feel the force begin to falter. At last, with one last harsh shove from your mind, it gives way all at once. 

There’s an instantaneous whooshing noise around you, like a vacuum has been released. A large blast of air from every direction threatens to knock you over, and you open your eyes in shock. Just as you think you’re about to fall, face towards the floor, Loki grabs the slack of your shirt on your back and pulls you up smoothly. 

You take a deep breath and exhale, patting down your clothes. 

“Thanks, I thought I was going to-“ 

You trail off abruptly, only just noticing your surroundings. Loki is observing it too, face surprisingly expressionless. The armchair which he had been sitting in only minutes earlier is no longer in front of you. Instead, it’s more of a pinprick in the far distance, along with everything else he made appear. Every wall on each side is at least half a mile away, if not more. The only thing nearby is the grey rug still under your feet, looking pathetically dwarfed in comparison to the new amount of floor space. 

“I would say I’m glad that you didn’t choose to make the dimension smaller, but it may have been an interesting experience to be crushed to sub-atomic size, judging by your extremities.” 

You laugh quietly, half in shock. “There’s no need to make snide comments. I did what you told me to.”

He nods slowly, turning round to survey the silent landscape. It’s at least large enough for several monuments, offices and more, perhaps even a whole town. “I suppose you did.”

“You could have told me to just overpower the force, by the way. It would have been simpler.”

He turns, looking somewhat interested. “You felt a force?”

“That pressure thing. You know, the one trying to stop it from changing.” You explain in confusion. 

Loki nods slowly, looking at you carefully. “I see.”

You frown, feeling like you’ve said something wrong. Before you can dwell on it though, he stretches languidly. 

“I believe that will do for today. You’re going to be tired once we return, so don’t start complaining to me. I’m assuming one of the Avengers will help you with that.”

You nod, shaking off the paranoia and taking once last look around the huge chamber. “How are we meant to leave?”

He shakes his head. “Leave it to me for now, and save that for another time. As long as I’ve got my powers in here I can take care of the exiting.”

With that he snaps his fingers, and you feel a horrible sensation of crushing pressure come over you. Apparently warping between dimensions in the passenger’s seat is less than pleasant, as you hate every second of the travel, as brief as it is. 

You take a stumbling step forwards as you feel yourself appear in the tower, bedroom carpet under your feet. You feel fine for a moment, but after a deep breath the familiar wave of dizziness and exhaustion hits you. This time however, it’s much more intense than ever before, as Loki predicted. Out of the corner of your rapidly narrowing vision you see he has already appeared too. He says something which comes out as garbled sounds, muffled like underwater, and you nod at him on autopilot. Then he walks away, out of the room and closing the door behind him. 

Within seconds of his leaving, spots begin to appear in the corners of your vision, quickly spreading to fill your line of sight. They begin to connect themselves, and the light fades. You sway momentarily, vertigo kicking in, then the world finally goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update part 2!  
> I can’t wait for all the exciting stuff I’ve got planned to happen! I’ve decided on the final plot line, and it gets tense :) 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone voting and commenting, it encourages me so much !!


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